As beach volleyball starts up again at Notre Dame, this season has had some major changes. The JV and varsity Tigers start the year off with a brand new league featuring neighboring schools such as Castilleja, Nueva, D-Tech, and Notre Dame San Jose. Last year, there was no official league, meaning the game scores and wins were not counted for anything. This year, the Tigers can officially compete against their fellow schools.
The varsity Tigers played their first matches against Notre Dame San Jose, starting off the league strong with a 5-1 win, and continuing to go undefeated.
“I think our games have been going well, but I wish we could play against harder and more competitive teams. Harbor was a good team to play against because they challenged us. I’m excited that I get to play with a bunch of other girls, and it has been really fun getting to know everyone really well,” said sophomore Maia Manuele.
Beach volleyball also transitioned into a cut sport, with nearly 30 of our fellow Tigers eagerly hitting the sand to form the two teams. Both varsity and JV have a busy schedule playing in matches and tournaments, including traveling to Santa Cruz to play Harbor High School.
“Everything about playing at Harbor was challenging; the weather was almost 90 degrees, and our entire team was struggling in the heat. That being said, I think our entire team played competitively and I enjoyed being challenged. It was very gratifying to win after such a long and hot fight,” said sophomore Siena Heid.
With the ending of the basketball Tigers’ CCS run, the teams have finally been finalized with a complete varsity and JV. Both teams are dedicated to winning, with varsity practicing three days a week and JV practicing twice, with one combined practice. JV and varsity both got new jerseys, one of many new additions to the beach volleyball program. With intersession and spring break, the season has unfortunately been cut short, with about a month left for the beach volleyball Tigers. Nevertheless, the Tigers will continue to compete throughout April.
Beach volleyball has definitely stepped up their game this season, and will continue to play their hardest as the temperature rises and summer begins to near!
